Good morning. Minor activity detected in the vicinity. Lunda’s voice rolled through their groggy minds.

  A loud explosion rocked the ship. Enough to shift the three sleeping friends in their beds, ensuring they were awake.

  Greg rolled his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up yawning. “What’s going on?”

  Mari was already on her feet, tightening the straps on Phlip’s harness. His lazy cooperation made this more difficult than usual. “I’m not sure, but we'd better get out there and see.” She pulled the length of leather firmly through a brass buckle.

  Jerro lay motionless, eyes fixed on the ceiling. “Do you think we are going to have even one relaxing moment ever again?”

  Greg hopped down from the top bunk, his mass landing next to Jerro. He reached into Jerro’s bunk, giving him some playful jabs in the ribs. Jerro squirmed, attempting to avoid Greg’s onslaught.

  “Guys, stop messing around, this—” Mari froze as she approached the door.

  Quiet. Something’s out there, Mari sent.

  Greg and Jerro froze, their ears shifting to pick up any trace.

  Moving away. I think. Mari added.

  Greg and Jerro eased towards the door, joining Mari and Phlip.

  Lunda. Intel? Jerro sent.

  Lunda answered immediately. At least two unknown life forms aboard the ship. Additional signatures in the vicinity. Sensor damage limiting external readings. Extreme caution advised.

  On your tail, Greg sent, giving a firm nod as his eyes narrowed.

  Mari opened the door onto the deck. A dense fog blanketed the jungle now, rolling over the ship's deck in waves. Strewn out clouds were painted fuchsia by the sunrise, gradually forcing out the deep blue of night.

  Across the far side of the ship, a large, gray, scaled beast with scattered colorful feathers stood on its thick hind legs. On its back rode a tan stick figure. Two slender legs wrapped down around the sides of the mount. Another set of thin appendages grasped curved metallic rings protruding from a neck harness. A third pair of arms hung loosely, awaiting their purpose.

  They had seen this creature before. Last night, in Lukyaza’s projection.

  A Grishki.

  The Grishki guided its mount to the edge of the canted deck. It reached a pincer-like claw down out of sight and produced a small translucent cube. In a single motion, it activated the device with a whir and hurled it towards the campsite below.

  Mari reached into her bag and withdrew the petrified watermelon half. Already in motion, she slid the helmet onto her head and threw a leg over Phlip’s broad back.

  The cube hit the ground below, and an intense buzz filled the air. A shockwave ripped through the quiet fog. The Guardians shot into the sky at high speed, momentarily clearing the haze and leaving a trail in their wake. The stick creature let out an escalating array of chitters in rapid succession from its scissored mandibles. This was a command. A swarm of insects bloomed from the side of the ship where the cube had impacted. The horde swam upwards, undulating under the audible signals from its master.

  Rhythmic pulses rolled outward. The cloud of insects, acting as a medium, quivered on the waves. The swarm froze, then dropped out of sight, hard bodies striking the jungle floor like a smattering of rain.

  Anomalous electromagnetic readings detected in the atmosphere, Lunda sent.

  Jerro reached for Mari. Hang on Mari, Lunda is picking something up.

  Mari was already in motion, urging Phlip forward with a quick kick of her heels, they took off towards the mounted foe. She focused her energy into a mind blast. Copper flooded her tongue as pressure cinched behind her eyes. Static crackled, arcing and snapping. A final chill coursed through her body, causing her fur to stand on end.

  She meant to shape it—to decide. Instead, it surged up too fast, slipping past her control like a reflex, and the realization hit half a second too late. Whatever she sent out, she couldn’t take back.

  With a thunderous boom, she issued a blast. Splitting the fog and causing it to mushroom outward, rolling over itself like a tidal wave.

  The stick creature turned its head in an instant, and its beady eyes drew on Mari. The blast overwhelmed the creature. It tried to move, but it was too late. The rider and the mount froze. Their forms crumbled into ?fine dust. Overpressure from the blast carried the molecules swirling into the air.

  Distant explosions and blaster fire could be heard in the sky above. Mari looked up and squinted. The two guardians were fighting several creatures at a high altitude.

  Over the starboard edge of the ship, muffled metal clanking and successive rustling could be heard. Discharges of energy reverberated through the ship. The fog flashed, catching light from the flash in the dim morning light.

  Mari, look out! Jerro sent.

  A barrage of laser fire impacted her from the opposite side of the ship as three large flying insects landed. Their quad translucent wings distorted the surrounding air. An array of cybernetic enhancements formed around their meager frames. Adding to their appendages, the layer of tech articulated independently. A smattering of weaponry, shielding and alien transmitters moved fluidly with their advance.

  Instead of tearing through Mari and Phlip, a field of raw energy absorbed the blaster fire. Mari looked back at the door that led to the ship's interior—Jerro and Greg were approaching her position. Jerro was holding a paw to his temple, focusing on Mari and Phlip. She could hear the light humming of an energy barrier as the frequency modulated at each point to absorb the laser blasts.

  Thanks buddy, Mari sent, relief bleeding into her voice.

  Without a word, Greg was already charging at ?high speed. His acceleration shifted the ship underpaw. Enough to cause Jerro to drop to a knee.

  He connected with the first cyborg insect and broke it in half, leaving the legs standing in place. The impact sent wire, chitin and metal reeling across the deck. His follow-through continued into the neighboring bug. A cylindrical tube deployed over the arthropod's shoulder. It hummed into a glow, then vanished, along with the attacker.

  Greg’s momentum carried through the blank space where the creature had disappeared. The third assailant lifted off the deck. Regaining his balance, Greg leapt through the air as the insect let off a hurried shot that grazed past his head and into the jungle beyond. He tackled it midair and took them both overboard, disappearing from Mari and Jerro’s view.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Mari stiffened, her pupils dilated, and she slid off Phlip’s back. She hit the deck, helmet first, and crumpled into a ball. The bug had reappeared next to Phlip. A syringe deployed around its abdomen from one of the cybernetic arms positioned where Mari had sat.

  Jerro faced them and focused on the mind of the insect. He struggled to orient himself with the decentralized neural anatomy. It was a puzzle, an enigma.

  Permission to interface, Jerro? Lunda sent, quieter than before. I can help you map it.

  Jerro didn’t hesitate. His brow eased, and Lunda flowed in—gentle where she could have been forceful—and they connected to the alien brain. This wasn’t one mind. It was a network. Billions of connected minds formed a singular consciousness. Together, Lunda and Jerro isolated this individual and supplanted a suggestion. Just as he had trained.

  The idea was simple—surrender. It worked. The bug retracted its arm cannon and folded both legs in a kneel, showing its intent.

  Its head dissolved into a pile of chartreuse paste as a blast ripped from above.

  Guardian Maxuun landed with a resounding thud on the deck.

  “We can’t take prisoners.” Maxuun said plainly as Jerro shot a look of bewilderment and indignation.

  Jerro looked at Maxuun and then at Mari’s limp body. Without a word, the Guardian approached Mari and effortlessly lifted her limp body over his shoulder.

  “What did it do to her? Will she be okay?” Jerro questioned the Guardian.

  Maxuun rotated towards Jerro. “She will be, but we need to get her to Prince Lukyaza immediately. The Grish use a nasty neurotoxin to incapacitate.”

  “You didn’t have to kill it.” Jerro kept his voice level. “I had it.”

  Maxuun ignored Jerro’s concern and made his way towards the now silent camp below. “Come, we must move quickly. Others will be upon us shortly.”

  In a massive bound, Greg leapt back up to the deck from the side of the ship where he had taken the creature overboard and landed, skidding a few tail lengths before coming to a stop.

  Greg smirked. “Guys… I think the ice cream is kicking in.” His expression dropped and eyes widened when he saw Mari hung lifeless over the Guardian's armored plate.

  Guardian Maxuun and the gang of friends descended from the ship and approached the campsite where Prince Lukyaza had been fighting. The swarm lay in a ring now, motionless and piled around the extinguished fire. Green and yellow entrails marked the remains of a fight. A freshly charred hole graced Lukyaza’s cloak, and? crimson blood dripped from his clenched paw. Guardian Natal landed softly next to the Prince while Maxuun placed Mari onto a nearby bed of moss. They shared a few concise words in their native language. Natal shared a quick, measured look with Maxuun as their visors deployed. One after the other, they shot into the atmosphere.

  The Prince quickly approached Mari as Jerro, Greg and Phlip closed the circle.

  He pulled a small hexagonal pouch from inside his cloak, unfastened a loop and opened it, exposing a silvery powder. It moved with a microcurrent within the container. His arm trembled as blood pooled and slid back down the sleeve. With his other paw, he dipped a clawed finger in. The silvery powder swirled around his broken claw. With a smooth motion, he placed it under Mari’s nose and snapped. The particles aerosolized, and a moment later, Mari’s eyes opened wide.

  The Prince placed a paw on her chest as she tried to sit up. “Slowly.”

  Mari let out a grunt and sputtered. She tried to move her mouth, but a froth of saliva was all she could produce.

  “You will need some time to recover, Mari. The toxin is potent. Our antidote opens the body to clear it naturally.”

  “The Guardians are going to move ahead to the location where we have been tracking the energy signature. I will join the three of you on foot. It isn’t far from here—we should be there within half the day. Grab any gear you need and secure your ship, for we may not be back until tomorrow. We depart momentarily.” Prince Lukyaza commanded without waiting for questions or response.

  “Wait, why can't you just fly us all over there like you did with the ship?” Jerro asked as the Prince began gathering his gear and tending to his own wound.

  “For one, my power is not endless. Restraint is wisdom. And that brings me to my second point.” Lukyaza’s gaze held on Mari a moment longer.

  “Let's go. I’ll grab our packs and we can get moving,” Greg said, already turning back toward the ship.

  Jerro felt Lunda’s presence brush the edge of his thoughts. You should remove the energy core before you leave the ship. It will reduce the risk of tampering or theft.

  Oh. Can you guide me to it? Jerro sent.

  Of course.

  Lunda led him through the ship’s inner corridors until they reached a compact engine space. At its center, a spherical object hovered in concentric rings of energy, radiating a hot white glow. A deep, rhythmic bass thumped through the walls, synced to the pulsing field.

  You’ll need to shut down the phase-reduction fields before you can retrieve it, Lunda sent.

  Then, quieter. Jerro.

  He paused with his paw hovering near the controls. Yeah?

  When you de-energize the core, my operation will cease.

  Jerro swallowed. Hey. Don’t worry. I won’t leave you behind. I promise.

  Thank you Jerro. I trust you will keep the core safe and, in turn, me.

  Lunda walked Jerro through the sequence. Jerro felt the void that was the shared mindspace. It was empty now. Lunda was gone. The sphere landed in a small cradle, clearly intended for this purpose.

  A hatch opened, and lively electronic dance music filled the engine room. Five small hamsters emerged slowly from the sphere. “Greetings, is everything okay out here?” They all said in unison.

  “Uh yeah,” Jerro responded and continued, “You guys are the energy core?”

  “Yes! We’re Derf One through Derf Five, and we power the ship!” The five of them chirped together.

  Jerro bent over and peered into the sphere's open hatch. Similar to their residence back on Station, the space was significantly larger than the exterior of the object implied. Inside the sphere, Jerro could see three small wheels, sized perfectly for the hamsters, which were still spinning slowly from residual motion. The walls of the interior were lined with lighting that matched the beat of the music. Another hamster was stationed at a table full of controls and buttons. It waved at Jerro.

  “That’s Derf Prime. She controls things in here.” The chorus of Derfs echoed.

  “I’m supposed to take the core with me. Um… is that okay with you guys?” Jerro asked the Derfs.

  They all looked at each other and at Derf Prime back inside the sphere. “Yeah sure! We’ll just be in here, and when you’re ready to start things up again, let us know!” said the Derfs with exuberance as they scurried back into the sphere. The hatch snapped closed.

  Jerro grabbed the sphere and tucked it securely into his pack.

  The group set off through the jungle. It was already getting hot out despite being early morning. The air was thick, and their fur quickly became damp from brushing through the massive dew-covered leaves and thick vines. Colorful flowers opened throughout the jungle, dotting the deep green. Screeches, skittering, and distant snaps echoed while howling and deep guttural calls filled the air as they hiked their way up the hillside.

  Prince Lukyaza led the way, clearing foliage as needed with his polearm. Phlip followed closely, carrying Mari on his back. Jerro and Greg took up the rear. Greg didn’t like being in the back. He kept turning around, jaw tight, shoulders tense, like he was waiting for the jungle to tap him on the spine. It never did. His nerves didn’t seem to care.

  The foliage began thinning, and the air became easier to breathe as a light breeze picked up. They were gaining elevation, and the Prince informed them they were closing in on the source of the signal.

  Breaking through the final curtain of vines, they emerged onto a rocky clearing. The Guardians sat back-to-back on a large rock. The pale, withered bodies of two large flying Grishki lay stacked to the side of a rectangular stone structure, engraved with worn writing and overgrown vegetation, that stood out amongst the organic rubble and jungle landscape.

  Mari instantly recognized the writing, just like in her dreams, just like the cave back in Long Valley. She looked back at Greg and Jerro, making wide eyes. She had considered saying something. Sending something. A new thought crossed her mind. She wasn’t sure now if Prince Lukyaza and the Guardians were capable of listening in. While she had been trusting them so far, her gut was telling her that something was off. Maybe it was nothing. She had heard the Prince’s words. She was practicing restraint.

  “This is not your work,” the Prince said plainly, gesturing toward the insects as the Guardians stood and approached.

  “No, their injuries are unique. They appear to have been drained. Life energy pulled from their bodies.” Guardian Natal reported.

  “Let us proceed on mission. Guardians, take up the rear. Mari, if you’re feeling up to it, join me in the front. Jerro and Greg fill in between.” The Prince ordered the group.

  Mari made her way to the Prince. Phlip followed at her side now. As she stepped, her legs shook from the lingering effects of the toxin. A tingling sensation wrapped her skull. Another side effect or nerves? She shot a quick glance back at Jerro and Greg as they started moving towards the entrance. They knew what did this to the Grishki.

  Hyrax.